David Keogh, a former communications officer at the Cabinet Office, and Leo O'Connor, a former parliamentary researcher, yesterday appeared at Bow Street magistrates' court in London, to face charges under the Official Secrets Act. Mr Keogh, 49, is charged with making a "damaging disclosure of a document relating to international relations" without lawful authority, while Mr O'Connor, 42, is charged with having receiving a document "through its disclosure without lawful authority by a crown servant". It is alleged that Mr Keogh passed the document to Mr O'Connor between April 16 and May 28 2004. Yesterday, the two men were given conditional bail, and ordered to reappear before the court on January 10.

The document, according to a report in the Daily Mirror, detailed minutes of a conversation between Tony Blair and President George W. Bush, in which bombing the headquarters of the Arabic satellite TV channel al-Jazeera was discussed.